HM Treasury

Tax-Free Childcare rollout update

lord bates: My right honourable friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Elizabeth Truss) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.In April 2017 the Government launched Tax-Free Childcare, which helps working parents with the cost of childcare with up to £2,000 of support per child. Today we will open the scheme to parents whose youngest child is under 9, or who turn 9 today. We will be opening the scheme to all remaining eligible families on 14th February. This means all eligible parents will be able to apply for Tax-Free Childcare before the end of this financial year.This government is giving more help with the cost of childcare to working parents than ever before. We introduced Tax-Free Childcare in April 2017, and have doubled the free childcare available to working parents of 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours a week. In 2019/20 we will be spending around £6bn on childcare support – a record amount of support.Since opening the childcare service, through which parents apply for 30 hours free childcare and Tax-Free Childcare, more than 325,000 customers have successfully applied and are now using the service. Of these, more than 295,000 parents are eligible for 30 hours free childcare. Over 170,000 have a Tax-Free Childcare account and we have begun activity to further raise awareness of Tax-Free Childcare. We want to encourage more parents to take up the offer they are entitled to. 


This statement has also been made in the House of Commons: 
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Ministry of Defence

War Pensions Scheme Uprating 2017

earl howe: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Defence People and Veterans (Tobias Ellwood) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. The new rates of war pensions and allowances proposed from April 2018 are set out in the tables below. The Annual uprating of war pensions and allowances for 2018 will take place from the week beginning 9 April. Rates for 2018 are increasing by 3.0 per cent in line with the September 2017 Consumer Price Index. War Pensions Rates RATES RATES(Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)20172018   WAR PENSIONS Disablement Pension (100% rates)  officer (£ per annum)9,392.009,674.00other ranks (weekly amount)180.00185.40   Age allowances payable from age 65  40%-50%12.0512.40over 50% but not over 70%18.5519.10over 70% but not over 90%26.3527.15over 90%37.1038.20   Disablement gratuity (one-off payment)  specified minor injury (min.)1,147.001,181.00specified minor injury (max.)8,559.008,816.001 – 5% gratuity2,862.002,948.006 – 14% gratuity6,363.006,554.0015 – 19% gratuity11,128.0011,462.00   SUPPLEMENTARY ALLOWANCES Unemployability allowance  Personal111.20114.55adult dependency increase61.8063.65increase for first child14.3514.80increase for subsequent children16.9017.40   Invalidity allowance  higher rate22.0022.65middle rate14.3014.70lower rate7.157.35   Constant attendance allowance  exceptional rate135.80139.80intermediate rate101.85104.85full day rate67.9069.90Part-day rate33.9534.95   Comforts allowance  higher rate29.2030.10lower rate14.6015.05   Mobility supplement64.8066.75   Allowance for lowered standard of occupation (maximum)67.8869.92   Therapeutic earnings limit (annual rate)6,240.006,526.00   Exceptionally severe disablement allowance67.9069.90   Severe disablement occupational allowance33.9534.95   Clothing allowance (£ per annum)232.00239.00   Education allowance (£ per annum) (max)120.00120.00   WIDOW(ER)S BENEFITS Widow(er)s' - other ranks (basic with children) (weekly amount)136.50140.60Widow(er) - Officer higher rate both wars (basic with children) (£ per annum)7,259.007,477.00Childless widow(er)s' u-40 (other ranks) (weekly amount)32.6933.67Widow(er) – Officer lower rate both wars (£ per annum)2,521.002,597.00   Supplementary Pension91.3194.05   Age allowance  (a) age 65 to 6915.5516.00(b) age 70 to 7929.9030.80(c) age 80 and over44.3545.70   Children's allowance  Increase for first child21.4022.05Increase for subsequent children24.0024.70   Orphan's pension  Increase for first child24.5025.25Increase for subsequent children26.8027.60   Unmarried dependant living as spouse (max)134.15138.25   Rent allowance (maximum)51.4052.95   Adult orphan's pension (maximum)104.90108.05